INCREASING READINGILITERACY PERFORMANCE OF AT-FUSK … · 2013-08-02 · Average class size was...

INCREASING READINGILITERACY PERFORMANCE OF AT-FUSK

ELEMENTARY STUDENTS THROUGH INCREASED ACCESS

TO FICTION/NON-FICTION RESOURCES AND

INCORPORATING READERS THEATER ACTIVITIES

Gayla L. Salas, B.S.

An Action Research Project Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the

School of Education in Partial Fulfillment of the

Requirement for the Degree of Master of Arts in Teaching and Leadership

Saint Xavier University & Pearson Achievement Solutions, Inc.

Field-Based Master's Program

Chicago, Illinois

May, 2008

CHAPTER 1

PROBLEM STATEMENT AND CONTEXT

General Statement of the Problem

The purpose of this research project was to increase student literacy, particularly in the area

of reading. Targeted students were served within a primary cross-categorical classroom.

Immediate Context of the Problem

This action research project was conducted at a public primary (PK-2) elementary school.

Documentation and intervention was conducted within a cross-categorical classroom, serving

students from K-2 grade levels. Information for-the site was obtained from the Illinois School

Report Card (2005).

The total enrollment for the school was 365 students, grades PK-2. The Caucasian population

consisted of 71% (n=259) of the students, making it the largest ethniclracial group. The Hispanic

population of 20% (n=72) of the students, was the second largest. In addition, 6% (n=22) of the

student population was multi racial. Table 1 shows the school breakdown of the student single

ethniclracial background by percentage for the school, followed by the district's percentage. The

percentages for both the school and district ethniclracial breakdowns were comparable, the

major differences being in the Caucasian and multi-racial student percentages. The total

enrollment for the district was 982 students, grades PK-8. The Caucasian population consisted of

74% (n=727) of the students, making it the largest of the groups. The Hispanic population

consisted of 19.5% (n=l91) of the students, making it the second largest of the racial/ethnic

groups. In addition, the multi-racial population consisted of 2.8% (n=27) of the students.

Table 1

School Ethnicity by Percentage:

Total African- Native- Enrollment Caucasian American Hispanic Asidaci f ic American

District Ethnicity by Percentage:

Total African- Native- Enrollment Caucasian American Hispanic Asidacif ic American

A total of 250 students in the school were from low-income households. Low income is

described in the Illinois School Report Card (2005) as including "families receiving public aid;

live in institutions for neglected or delinquent children; are supported in foster homes with public

funds; or are eligible to receive free or reduced-price lunches" (p. 1). Fifteen of the students were

limited English proficient. The truancy rate was 0.0%. Chronic truancy is described as "students

who are absent from school without valid cause for 18 or more of the last 180 school days"

(p. 1). The mobility rate was 23.2% with an attendance rate of 95.9%.

In the district, 66.4% of the student population came from low-income households. The

limited English proficiency rate was 2.2%, chronic truancy was 1%, and the mobility rate was

16.1%. The attendance rate was 94.9%.

Teacher information on the 2005 Illinois School Report Card shows a total of 59 teachers for

the district. The Caucasian population consisted of 57 teachers, by far the majority, with only

two teachers of Hispanic raciayethnicity in the district. There were no other racidethnic groups

represented in the teacher population. Table 2 shows the raciallethnic breakdown for teachers by

percentage.

Table 2

Ethnicity by Percentage:

Caucasian African-American Hispanic AsianIPacific Native-American

98.3 0.0 1.7 0.0 0.0

The gender split for teachers was 20.3% (n=12) male and 79.7% ( ~ 4 7 ) female. The average

teacher salary was $52,805 for full time. This was slightly below the state average of

$55,558. The average administrator's salary for the district was $102,135. This was somewhat

higher than the state average administrator's salary of $97,05 1.

The 2005 Illinois School Report Card shows that district teachers have taught for an average

of 18.5 years. The percentage of teachers with a bachelor's degree was reported to be 44.1%

(n=26), while the percentage of teachers with a master's and above was 55.9% ( ~ 3 3 ) .

Average class size was reported for grades K and 1. Grade K had an average of 26.8 students,

while Grade 1 had an average of 27.5 students. The pupil-teacher ratio was 1 :18.4. The 2003-

2004 instructional expenditure per pupil was $4,040 for the district as compared to the state

average of $5,216. Instructional expenditure was described in the report as including "the

direct costs of teaching pupils or the interaction between teachers and pupils". The 2003-2004

operating expenditure per pupil was $7,012.00 as compared to the state average of $8,786.00.

The report describes operating expenditure as including "the gross operating cost of a school

district excluding summer school, adult education, bond principal retired, and capital

expenditures".

The school is reported as making Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) on the 2005 report. This

includes both reading and mathematics. In the area of reading, 99% of the 2"d grade students took

the state adopted test, the Terra Nova. The minimum state AYP for taking the reading test had

been set at 95%. That means that 95% of the student population was expected by the state to take

the test. In actuality, 99% of the school population took the test, or 4% more than the minimum

requirement. The percentage of students meeting or exceeding standards was 62.9%. The state

minimum AYP target was set at 47.5%. In the area of mathematics, 99% of the 2nd grade

students took the state adopted test. That was 4% more than the state requirement of 95%. The

percentage of students meeting or exceeding standards was 73%. The state minimum AYP target

for students meeting or exceeding standards in math was set at 47% of the school population.

The school used a Scott-Foresman reading curriculum. Students served in the cross-

categorical special education classroom used the same reading curriculum with modification and

supplementation. Both regular and cross-categorical classrooms used the same writing

curriculum. Time spent on language arts ranged fiom 80 minutes to 120 minutes, dependent

upon the classroom. The math curriculum for regular classrooms was Everyday Math. The

students served in the cross-categorical classroom used Math Worlds.

Students in the regular classrooms spent approximately 60 minutes per day on math. Students

receiving math instruction in the cross-categorical classroom spent 30-40 minutes per day on

math. These students were to be included in any math instruction taught during the time that they

were in the regular classroom. Since this time was determined by the individual teachers,

additional math time varied fiom room to room.

The school's administrative structure included a principal, an office secretary, a full time

counselor, two nurses, an unofficial part time librarian, an in-house person to support

technology on a part-time basis, as well as a technology director fiom the district. This person

was essential for keeping the computers system running smoothly. There was a custodian for the

school day, an evening custodian, and three lunchroom attendants. The school also had

an ELL teacher and two speech and language pathologists. The teaching staff included a regular

pre-school classroom teacher, two pre-school teachers for students with special needs, a K-2

teacher for students with special needs, and five aides. There were four kindergarten teachers,

one for each kindergarten class. Five women from the grandma's program supported the

kindergarten teachers, another worked with first grade. Four AmeriCorps workers also supported

the kindergarten classrooms. There were eight first grade teachers for five first-grade classrooms.

Most of these teachers were also Reading Recovery teachers. There were four second grade

teachers, one was supported by a volunteer who had retired from teaching. One physical

education teacher taught the gym class. Music was taught by two teachers who shared their

time with the other schools in the district. Only five males were included in the staff and support

staff. They were the principal, both custodians, ane AmeriCorp worker and the physical

education teacher.

The school offered an environment conducive to students' feelings of well-being, security,

confidence, and happiness. Breakfast was available to students every morning before school.

Free lunches were available for those eligible. Parents had an opportunity to have lunch with

their student and the principal at least once during the school year. Grandparents had an

afternoon in which they could join in classroom activities. A counselor was available for

students in need of the service.

Students could join before or after-school clubs. One club provided students with care and

activities while parents or guardians were working. Another program offered assistance with

homework after school. Girls could join a scout-type program. A non-denominational church

used a classroom, after school hours, to share their inspirational message with students.

The school had a family reading night every month of the school year. On that night, students

were allowed to read a book, and then answer questions on the story through the use of a

computer program. Each student passing the test was allowed to choose a free book for his or her

home library. Then, the student and family were invited to join in for a pizza and pop

dinner.

Teachers at the school were encouraged to reach out to parents and guardians in order to

support healthy home/school relationship. They were asked to send home notes with positive

messages about the student, or to make positive phone calls home. Teachers were also asked to

recommend names of students in need of a fi-ee, new coat for the cold winter months.

The school presented itself in a park-like setting, with a playground on both ends of the

school and a park district playground and ball park across the street. The school was built

around a rarely used, but pleasant to see courtyard. Three of the student classrooms had window

access to the courtyard, as did the counselor's room, the room of the reading teacher, and the

speech room.

The front entrance and school foyer were located in front of the gymnasium. To the left of the

foyer were the school and principal's offices. Next to the principal's office was the

school nurses' room. The K-2 special education classroom, four kindergartens and a preschool

were also on that part of the school. To the right of the foyer, were the rooms for the reading

teacher, Reading Recovery, counselor, music, ELL, speech and one frst grade. The next hall

contained two pre-school rooms serving students with special needs, four more first-grade

rooms, two second-grade rooms and a library. The last hall contained two second-grade

classrooms along with a room for the before-and-after-school daycare.

The problem to be addressed is increasing reading performance of the students in the

primary cross-categorical classroom. This is particularly difficult in the sense that students of

various disabilities are taught within the classroom. This allows for a greater range of reading

levels than might be found in a regular classroom, as well as a greater range in age levels.

Many researchers stress the importance of allowing all students exposure to both fiction

and non-fiction resources, particularly within the classroom. Often, the classrooms for students

with disabilities have the least amount of fictionlnon-fiction resources available to the

students. Many of the regular teachers build their classroom library with free or reduced

priced books received as bonuses from their students' book orders, including those students,

although receiving services for readinglanguage arts within the cross categorical classroom,

do participate most of the school day in the regular classroom. A greater effort needs to be made

to build a classroom library within the classroom that these students receive their main

readinglanguage arts instruction, allowing for easier access to the genres. As far as visits to the

school library, the students from the cross-categorical classroom generally are to visit the library

with their regular classrooms. A great attempt is made within the school to allow the students

with disabilities to be placed evenly throughout the regular classrooms. For example, eight

students with disabilities would be placed two to each of the four second-grade classrooms.

Scheduling does not always allow for the students with disabilities to be included in library

visits. Often these students receive related services, such as speech and language, which

will take them out of the regular classroom. If they receive counseling services, this will take

even more of the time during which they could be included inregular education. Often, it is

library time that is sacrificed.

Local Context of the Problem

The school was located on the south central edge of this mid-westem town. The

demographics from the U.S. Census Bureau (2000) describe the total population as 9,580, of

which 4,570 were male and 5,020 were female. The median age of the community was 36.1

years. There were 703 under the age of five years, 7,134 were 18 years and over, while

1,525 were 65 years and over.

Table 4 shows the population breakdown by ethnicity. The Caucasian population was the

largest at 91.8%, followed by the Hispanic or Latino population, consisting of 1 1.5% of the local

residents. The other ethnicIracia1 groups eachreported a population of less than one percent of

the community.

Table 4

Ethnicity by Percentage:

Afiican American Indian Native Hawaiian Hispanic or Caucasian American and Alaska Native Asian & Other Pacific Islander Latino

91.8 0.9 0.4 0.3 0.0 11.5

In the Census Bureau report, median household income was reported to be $34,443.00 for

1999. The median family income for 1999 was cited as $41,803.00. The income per capita, also

for 1999 was $16,524.00.

The average household size was 2.41, as reported to the U.S. Census Bureau. The average

family size was 2.99. The labor force was 4,732.

The district consists of a primary school, an intermediate school and a middle school. There is

one principal at each school The district has one superintendent. The mission statement for the

primary school was taken fiom the primary school improvement plan for 2006-2007.

Our vision at . . .Primary School is to provide opportunities for all children to be

successful and impress upon them the power in choosing to do what is right At

. . .Primary School we will strive to create an environment that will challenge our

students to want to learn, make good decisions, and to respect and care for others.

Through the combined efforts of students, teachers, staff, parents, and administration,

we will create a learning environment in which the whole child is nurtured.

The local property tax revenue for the district during 2003-2004 as reported in the 2005

Illinois District Report Card was 34.2% as compared to 57.0% for the state. With uneven

distribution of funding of education in the state of Illinois, along with the fact that 66.4% of the

children in this district come &om low income families. It is understandable that resources for

funding classroom libraries within the district are low. The Committee to Defend Public

Education (www.teacherschalkboard.org) suggests that the differences between the districts with

the lowest funding and those with the highest differ by $1 8,000 per student in state

expenditures.

National Context of the Problem

Children's weakness in the areas of literacy development has been an ongoing problem.

Biancarosa and Snow (2004) as cited by Werderich and Pariza (n.d.) support the notion that

children's reading often decreases over time. Corcoran and Davis (n.d.) suggest that by third

grade, three-quarters of students with deficits in reading skills, reach adulthood lacking in

reading literacy. The 2003 National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) showed that 37%

of fourth graders were reading below level. These reports suggest that not enough Is being done

to encourage literacy development, as well as development that lasts throughout a lifetime.

CHAPTER 2

PROBLEM DOCUMENTATION

Evidence of the Problem

The problem area addressed in this study was the low literacy rate of primary at-risk

students. The purpose of this study was to increase the literacy performance of five second-grade

students from a cross-categorical classroom. The students had various disabilities, including

OCD, Speech and Language, OH1 and LD. Reading needed to improve. Although available

instructional material in the classroom included direct instruction reading material and the

general education curriculum, more was needed to help the students develop a personal interest

in reading for both pleasure and knowledge. The students received pull-out services in the area of

reading and language arts. These students were included in the general educational second grade

science and social studies classes. There, they often did not have the background knowledge as

well as reading ability to efficiently and enthusiastically participate in the content areas of

science and social studies. Implications were that when the students would advance to the third

grade where reading and concepts would be more advanced, the students with special needs

would have even more difficulty.

The tools used to give insight to the teacher researcher regarding the reading aspect of

student literacy included parent surveys of availability of books at home, DIBELS for a measure

of basic literacy skills, and the STAR assessment for reading. Pre-documentation was conducted

from August 27,2007 to September 10,2007.

Parent Survey

During the week of August 27, the teacher researcher mailed home a reading survey to the

parents. The purpose of the survey was to help the teacherlresearcher gain insight into the home

reading attitude and environment. Parents were asked to respond by September 10. Seven

surveys were sent out, each in a manila envelope with a return envelope enclosed. Four parent

surveys were returned. The rate of return was 57%. The survey contained five questions. Table 5

states the questions and the responses. Parents were asked to report on the approximate number

of books available to students at home, time spent reading, whether or not the student enjoyed

reading to the parent, how often the students were taken to the public library, and whether or not

the students had a library card. Please refer to Appendix A.

Table 5

Parent Survey (n=4)

On average, how much time do you and your child spend reading together daily?

0-10 minutes 10-20 minutes 20-30 minutes 30+ minutes

0% (n=O) 50% (n=2) 25% (n=l) 25% (n=l)

Does your child enjoy reading to you?

no - a little yes very much

0% (n=O) 75% (n-3) 25% (n=l) 0% (n=O)

Approximately how many books does your child have available to read at home?

0-15 6-15 15-25 26 or more

25% (n=l) 0% (n=O) 0% (n=O) 75% (n=3)

How often do you take your child to the public library?

1-2 timeslweek 1 -3 timeslmonth 6- 1 1 timeslyear 1-5 timeslyear never

0% (n=O) 25% (n=l) 50% (n=2) 0% (n=O) 25% (n=l)

Do you have a public library card?

yes

75% (n=3)

On average, 50% (n=2) of the students read for 10-20 minutes. One quarter (n=l) of the

students read for 20-30 minutes, and another quarter (n=l) read for 30 or more minutes per day.

Seventy-five percent (n=3) of the students enjoyed reading only a little. Twenty-five percent

(n=l) said that they did enjoy reading. When asked how many books were available for the child

to read at home, 25% (n=l) of the parents reported 15 or fewer. Seventy-five percent (n=3) of the

parents reported 26 or more books. When asked how often the child was taken to the public

library, it was reported that 25% (n=l) of the parents take their child to the library one to three

times per month, 50% (n=2) of the parents reported taking their child six to eleven times per

year, while 25% (n=l) reported that their child never went to the public library. When the parents

were asked if they had a public library card, 75% (n=3) reported that they did have one. Twenty-

five percent (n=l) did not have a public library card.

DIBELS

The students were administered the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills

(DIBELS) Assessment. DIBELS was not used as a district or local school measure. It had not

been approved for Respond to Intervention (RTI) use at the school. It was being used in this case

as a simple before and after measure of students' early literacy skills. The teacherlresearcher was

not formerly trained to use the DIBELS and did not report student scores to the official website.

Although the students were in the second grade, they were administered the first grade level

DIBELS. Six students were administered DIBELS during their language arts period. This

assessment was not used as a standardized measure, but as a measure intended simply to give an

informal assessment of basic skills. The Benchmark I BeginningIFall was administered to each

student. Skills measured included letter naming fluency, phoneme segmentation fluency, and

nonsense word fluency. Please refer to web site at http://dibels.uoregon.edu/ to find out more

about DIBELS.

Figure 1 shows the number of phonemes correctly segmented from three or four phoneme

words, as described in the DIBELS Administration and Scoring Guide. The guide cites Kaminski

and Good (1 996) as promoting the DIBELS Phoneme Segmentation Fluency assessment as a

"good predictor of later reading achievement". Students B and D, both second grade students,

scored well below the fall first grade benchmark of 45 correct phonemes. The mean for the six

students was 49 correct phonemes.

80

70

60

50

Scores 40

30

20

10

0

A B C D E F

Students

Figure 1 : Phoneme segmentation Fluency

Figure 2 shows the correct sounds recorded for each student during the one-minute timing

for nonsense word fluency. For students in mid-first grade, the DIBELS Administration and

Scoring Guide places the benchmark goal at 50 correct letter sounds. The students taking this test

are beginning second grade students. Only student B scored above the mid-first grade

benchmark. The mean for the group of six students was 32 correct sounds, a score well below the

mid-first grade benchmark.

70

60

50

No. of Correct 40

Sounds 30

n Pre-documentation 20

10

0

A B C D E F

Students

Figure 2: Nonsense Word Fluency

STAR Reading

Originally, the students were to take the STAR reading test during the week of September

17. However, the test had not been installed in classroom computers or in any of the school

computers for the school year, due to priority issues per the technology director. The school then

received a new server; and the program was installed on October 23,2007. The teacher

researcher had the students take the test immediately, due to the lateness of test installation.

Figures 3-7 shows the results of the assessments. Although not a true pre-documentation at this

point, the STAR tool could be taken up to five times per year. Each student tested answered a

total of 25 questions. A post-test at the end of the research period would determine whether

growth had occurred during the time between the original measurement on October 23rd and the

post-test. Please refer to www.renlearn.com/staneading/overview/be to find out more

about STAR Reading.

Figure 3 shows the Scaled Score (SS), which is used to show growth, or lack of, across time.

The Score Definition Report, which can be printed out through the computer program, describes

the SS score for the STAR Reading tests as used for the first grade through the twelfth grade,

with a range from 0 to 1400. The mean for the students' first STAR test of the year was 79.

Pre-documentation

A B C D E F

Students

Figure 3: Scaled Scores

Figure 4 shows the Grade Equivalent (GE) score. The GE shows where the students reading

scores fall as compared to other student scores throughout the nation. The mean for the tested

students was .9, a pre-primer reading level. The reading range for the group of second grade

students was from .4, a pre-primer reading level, to 1.2 which refers to the second month of fust

grade.

0.8 Grade Level

0.6

Students

Figure 4: Grade Equivalent (GE)

Figure 5 shows the Percentile Rank (PR). The PR has a range of 1 to 99. The mean for the

students was 7, showing that the test group's average score was below that of 93% of the

students tested at the same grade level nationally.

14

12

10

8 Percentile

6 su Pre-documentation

4 .

2 .

A B C D E F

Students

Figure 5: Percentile Rank

Table 6 shows the Zone of Proximal Development ZPD for the students. The ZPD, as

described in the STAR Reading Diagnostic Report, is the reading range level recommended for

book selection for the students if using the Accelerated Reader program.

Table 6

Zone of Proximal Development:

STUDENTS ZPD

A 1.3-2.5

B 0.9-1.9

C 0.9-1.9

D 1.2-2.2

E 0.9-1 -9

F 0.4-1.4

The students in this particular test group were all reading well below grade level. The

independent reading level range, which is the low end score of the ZPD, was at a pre-primer

level for all students.

Reflection

Given the data, it was apparent that all students in the test group (n=6) were reading

approximately one to one and a half years below grade level. All were receiving

readingllanguage arts instruction within the primary cross-categorical special education

classroom. Since disabilities varied, an intervention intended to stimulate literacy development

across disabilities, that would not only positively impact reading within the reading classroom

but also support content area reading, would be beneficial.

Probable Causes

There are a number of reasons for which readinglliteracy performance is negatively impacted.

It is no secret that there are those who believe in first focusing primarily in the building of

emergent readers' basic reading skills, including letterlsound correspondence, sight word

recognition, decoding skills and fluency. This reading philosophy is supported by Douetil

(2005), who wonders how children can enjoy reading if they are unable to read. Beyond that,

there are the skills and desires necessary for application to texts of increasing difficulty. These

skills include intonation, as well as, developed and related background knowledge in areas such

as living things and habitats, geographical locations and cultural differences, historical

background, and scientific and technological terms and definitions. These are the skills that some

consider of utmost importance in helping to turn students, including struggling readers, into

readers for a lifetime.

Some researchers have a strong belief in combining what once were felt to be conflicting

approaches in the development of reading achievement. These methods include both the direct

instruction of basic skills, and the whole language approach. Johnson (2004) supports the mutual

inclusion of these methods in what could be considered a "Constructivism" and "Instructionism"

spiral, whereas one concept supports the progress of the other in the building of literacy skills.

The combination or blended approach of basic skill building and the whole language is also

supported by Brooks-Harper and Shelton (2003) for enhancing both children's reading and

writing skills and pleasure.

It is true that fewer children, today, are reading for the simple pleasure of it (Clark &

Rumbold, 2006; von Rembow, n.d.). At one time, reading for pleasure was a primary pastime.

Now, it is easy to assume that increased time spent watching television and interacting with the

internet impacts the amount of reading that children do (Kenney & Gunter, n.d.). There is only so

much time available after school and on weekends, yet today's students have a greater amount of

technological hardware, as well as software, available to them. One might wonder if kids today

have replaced the concept of kicking back with a good book with a new concept of reading a

, book either on-line or downloaded. With parental and media concerns of kids' on-line gaming

and addictions to gaming, it is doubtful that children are using this technological medium for the

purpose of literary development and satisfaction. It has been suggested, however, that the

decrease in reading activity could be a reaction to the lack of color available in printed text,

which does not compare with the bright graphics available through technology (Kirschenbaum,

2006).

There are those, however, who feel that teachers are simply not meeting children's interests

in reading. Some teachers may not be aware of student interests (Edmunds & Bauserman, 2006).

For beginning readers, interests may not be developed enough to positively impact

comprehension (Cunningham & Shagoury, 2005). At the primary level, many of the books

available in our school libraries have little to show for content that might stimulate interests of

early learners with the focus being on developing word-attack skills. These trade books contain

numerous consonant, vowel consonant (cvc) words (i.e. dog, cat); consonant, vowel, consonant

and e (cvce) words (i.e. game, came); and high-frequency words (i.e. the, to, my)--readable, yet

dull. Also, teachers may not be reading to students enough, particularly to those that are

struggling readers who may enjoy attempting to re-read a simple, yet familiar text of interest

(Cunningham, 2005).

Some researchers feel that there are gender differences in students' reading interests. When

these reading interests are not met, students attitudes towards reading, as well as their reading

performances, suffer (Brozo, 2006; Cavazos-Kottke, 2005; Cunningham, 2005; Dreher, 2003;

Merrisuo-Storm, 2006). Boys, in particular, are interested in non-fiction topics, yet little non-

fiction is available in classroom libraries (Young & Moss, 2006).

Lack of non-fiction may also slow down the building of background knowledge, thereby

impacting comprehension (Soalt, 2005). This may also extend to the support of content areas. A

firm foundation for building literacy in those areas may be difficult to provide without increased

exposure to informational texts (Schachter, 2006).

Many researchers suggest that the unavailability of books, in general, plays at least a partial

role in students spending minimal time reading (Sanacore, 2006; Shin, 2004; Werderich &

Pariza, n.d.). Whether it be lack of books at home, lack of a classroom library, or few appropriate

selections within the school library, it is difficult to improve on reading without something to

read.

The avoidance of graphic or comic books within the classroom may be withholding even

another means of spreading reading enjoyment, particularly to students at-risk who may benefit

from the visual clues (Thompson, 2007). Cunningham (2005) hints that a lack of informational

journals (i.e., Weekly Reader & Time for Kids) available to students in the classroom, as well as

the lack of classroom availability of favorite children's magazines (i.e., Sports Illustrated for

Kids & Nickelodeon) may also minimize opportunities for children to reach for text of interest.

These journals and magazines may impose an upbeat and current atmosphere to the school and

classroom libraries when subscriptions are kept up. Some schools may not subscribe to certain

journals/magazines (i.e. National Geographic for Kids) due to expense or fear of content that

some parents or board members may not appreciate.

Another factor negatively impacting student reading performance is the lack of discourse on

reading and writing topics. Perhaps some children are not given verbal support and/or

encouragement to read, thereby allowing for diminished confidence (Shin, 2004). Others may

have difficulty with book selections, perhaps unaware of books relating to a particular topic

(Edmunds & Bauserman, 2006). They may be given little time to critique books, either verbally

or in writing (Edmunds & Bauserman, 2006; Hiles, n.d.).

An uncomfortable classroom environment is also not conducive to the promotion of literacy.

A stark classroom may not give the feel of cozying up to a book that a warm and welcoming

classroom might. Not only the furnishings, but also the attitude of the teacher towards reading

may leave a related or mirrored impression on the children (Werderich & Pariza, n.d.).

Without interesting activities and strategies, at-risk students may have difficulty attending to

the material, thereby negatively impacting comprehension. Without interesting material to read,

as well as time to read, whether it be a book that is read to the students, or books that the students

read during shared or silent reading, lifetime literacy skills will not be developed (Sanacore,

2006).

With students at-risk, it is often difficult for teachers to find activities interesting enough to

keep the students on task; as well as provide the essential repeated readings necessary to allow

for the improvement in reading fluency, which, in turn, helps with reading comprehension

(Griffith & Rasinski, 2004). When a teacher offers the same mind-numbing readingliteracy

lessons day after day, students will turn their attention to anything of greater interest to them.

For students with different learning modalities, such as the visudspatial or kinesthetic

learners, Armstrong (2004), implies that teachers may not be meeting the students learning needs

by not using readingliteracy activities influenced by Gardner's multiple intelligences theory.

For example, after a short reading, visual learners may need to get a picture in their mind to help

clarify what had happened in the paragraph or story.

To recap, probable causes for low readinglliteracy performance are numerous. Included are

lack of basic skills and background knowledge, interference of reading time due to technology-

related pastime, lack of stimulating reading resources, discourse and related activities.

CHAPTER 3

THE SOLUTION STRATEGY

Review of the Literature

There are numerous strategies a teacher can utilize in the effort to improve student literacy.

The goals of these solutions range from development of the basic reading skills at the primary

level, to the skills needed for students to not only become involved in content area reading and

writing, but also to develop the skills and desires necessary to become life-long learners.

To increase students' reading performance, it is important to increase positive reading

opportunities for students. These may include reading programs, silent reading, and shared

reading (Cunningham, 2005; Sanacore, 2002; Sanacore, 2006). Constructive and upbeat reading

sessions may also improve the likelihood of students not only attending to task, but also to their

actual involvement and processing of information.

Readers Theater

One possible strategy that has received a lot of focus is the use of readers theater as a

supplement to the reading curriculum. Readers theater provides a fun way to encourage students

to read and re-read, thereby developing their reading skills (Casey & Chamberlin. n.d., Yopp &

Yopp, 2003). Readers theater can be beneficial for both reading and content areas (Dreher, 2003).

Reading fluency can be enhanced through the use of Readers Theater. "Reading fluency is the

ability to read accurately, quickly, effortlessly, and with appropriate expression and meaning"

(Rasinski, 2003; as cited by Griffith & Rasinski, 2004). "Reading fluency is important because it

affects students' reading efficiency and comprehension", (Griffith & Rasinski, 2004).

There is plenty of Readers Theater material available through purchased scripts and topic

related anthologies. Many stories, either fiction or non-fiction, could be adapted. Material is also

available on-line.

Although a number of researchers support the use of readers theater to improve reading

performance for intermediate level and older students, there are those, such as Moran (2006),

Who support the use of readers theater for the beginning reader. Through readers theater,

students are allowed the opportunity to have the multiple repetitions necessary to master most or

all of the words in the script. The reading levels can vary just as the reading curriculum and trade

books do. Students may also get involved in creating additional scripts for the plays. Content

area, that may seem otherwise dull, can quickly be enlivened through the creation of a script, and

student participation (Powell-Brown, 2006). Appealing to various learning modalities, students

may be more likely to retain information learned. Positive social interactions are another benefit

of introducing readers theater to the classroom. Student choice could play a part in the selection

of plays to incorporate into the classroom lessons.

Students may also benefit fiom the inclusion of readers theater into all area of the

curriculum. Using "curriculum-based readers theater" or CBRT" is highly recommended by

Flynn (2004). Scripts can be'developed for the content areas such as math, science, and social

studies. The repeated readings allow for greater retention (Flynn, 2004) of the areas that students

at-risk for failure have major difficulty in. For greater enhancement of literacy performance,

students can help to develop the scripts used based on curriculum topics. Flynn (2004) suggest

that "students use prewriting strategies (e.g., making lists, clustering or mind-mapping;

ans,wering the questions of what, when, where, who and why) to generate, select, elaborate on,

and organize ideas, vocabulary, and information."

Choral and Echo Reading

For children at-risk, interactive activities are crucial, as many have difficulty attending to

26

task when left to read independently. Choral reading allows groups of students to read together

(Yopp & Yopp, 2003). This allows the teacher to observe more students reading, as well as

saving valuadle class time that would otherwise be used on a one-to-one basis. Also

recommended by Yopp and Yopp (2003), is echo reading, where "the teacher reads aloud the

same portion of the selection, attempting to mimic the reading rate, expression, intonation, and

phrasing of the teacher.".

Classroom and School Libraries

Many researchers also stress the importance of providing students with a variety of genres

and topics of interest through a broad range of books (Dreher, 2003). This could include both the

classroom library as well as the school library (Pachtman & Wilson, 2006). Another way to

increase student reading performance in the areas of vocabulary and comprehension, as well as

build a platform for building background knowledge, is to increase the amount of non-fiction

trade books or fictionlnon-fiction sets available (Young & Moss, 2006). Many students simply do

not have the exposure to non-fiction because teachers and school libraries often fill their shelves

with fiction, perhaps hoping to trigger a desire to read through providing cute or endearing

characters. It is important to have a well-stocked classroom library with equal amounts of fiction

and non-fiction to promote student engagement (Cunningham, 2005). Choose books that have

visual appeal, accurate and age-appropriate content (Young & Moss, 2006). The non-fiction

reading material could be used for the silent reading, shared or paired, and guided reading

opportunities available to students.

Supportive Setting

Of course, children also need a supportive setting in which to learn. Naturally, the reading

environment should have a relaxing atmosphere, conducive to learning, with a comfortable

reading area (Werderich & Pariza, n.d.; Ezarik, 2004). It is essential to also provide a rich

learning environment respective of culture, heritage and social-economic status (Cunningham &

Shagoury, 2005). It is within a safe setting that students are more likely to be motivated to take

on reading challenges. Help students to build basic reading skills. Give tasks where students can

succeed, but are not too easy (McCabe, 2006; Cheak & Wessel, n.d.).

By providing a safe environment in which to learn, firming up basic skills, building upon

what students know, and following the basic classroom reading strategies for shared, paired and

guided reading, as well as introducing engaging activities such as Readers Theater, and meeting

student interests by adding more non-fiction to the already available reading material, student

will be likely to show improvement in their reading performance.

Project Objectives and Processing Statements

As a result of the use of increased exposure to fictiodnon-fiction and Readers Theater during

the period of September, 2007 through December, 2007, the targeted second grade students in the

primary cross categorical class are to increase their literacy performance as measured by the Star

Reading and DBELS assessments. In order to accomplish the project objectives, the following

processes are necessary:

1. Add an assortment of appropriate Fictiodnonfiction selections to the classroom

library.

2. Match students with appropriate leveled fictionlnon-fiction selections

from the school library.

3. Review Readers Theater activities

4. Select Readers Theater scripts based on general group ability.

Project Action Plan

After reflecting upon the project objectives and processes, the teacher researcher created the

following project action plan. This plan describes the steps of the research. The action plan spans

a time frame of 14 weeks and addresses the requirements of the study.

What Task?

Send home parent reading surveys & self-addressed envelope

Directions for library book selections

Discover student reading interests

DIBELS

STAR Pre-Doc. Taken by each of the eight students.

To increase readinglliteracy through increased access to fictiodnon- fiction and readers theater.

To increase readinglliteracy through increased access to fiction and non-fiction and readers theater.

How?

Mail through school office

Discuss/Discover

Discuss/Discover

Administered Individually

Cross-Cat Classroom Computers

Introduce fictiodnon- fiction selections available in classroom and library.

Continue with fictiodnon- fiction selections. Add Readers Theater activities.

When?

September4, 2007

Beginning September 4, 2007

September 10, 2007

Week of September 10, 2007




What?

Cross Cat. Teacher

Reg. 2nd grade & Cross cat. Teachers

Cross-Cat. Teacher

Cross-Cat. Teacher

Overseen by Cross-cat. Teacher

Cross-Cat. Teacher to Targeted 2nd Grade Students

Targeted 2nd Grade Students

Comments

Should be returned by Sept. 10,2007

Individually Take notes

Should be collected as soon as completed.

Missed tests due to absence will be taken within two days of return.

Missed tests due to absence will be taken within two days of return.

Discuss materials added to classroom.

Assign rolls for readers theater selection.

29







To increase readingliteracy through increased access to fiction and non-fiction and readers theater.

To increase readiigiliteracy through increased access to fiction and non-fiction and readers theater.

To increase readingliteracy performance through increased access to fictiodnon- fiction and Readers Theater activities.

To increase readinglliteracy performance through increased access to fictiodnon- fiction and Readers Theater activities.

To increase readinglliteracy performance through increased access to fictiodnon- fiction and Readers theater activities.


Use fictiodnon- fiction selections from school library and classroom Library. Continue with Readers Theater activities.

Use fictiodnon- fiction selections from school library and classroom library. Continue with Readers Theater activities.

Use fictiontnon- fiction selections from school library and classroom library. Continue with Readers theater activities.

Use fictiodnon- fiction selections from school library and classroom library. Continue with Readers theater activities.



Week of October 1,2007





Week of November 5, 2007


To increase readinglliteracy performance through increased access to fictiodnon- fiction and Readers Theater activities


To increase readinglliteracy performance through increased access to fictiodnon- fiction and Readers Theater activities.

DIBELS Post- Doc. administered to students.

STAR post-doc. administered to students.

Week of November 12, 2007

Week of November 19, 2006.

Week of November 26, 2007.

Week of December 3, 2007.

Week of December 3, 2007

Week of December 10, 2007




Use fictiodnon- fiction selections fiom school library and classroom library. Continue with Readers Theater activities.

Administered individually.

Administered individually.




Targeted 2nd Grade Students.



Methods of Assessment

The following assessment tools were given to approximately six second grade students

during a 14-week study: a) DIBELS an assessment of basic skills, and b)STAR Reading, a

computer program assessment of reading comprehension.

The first instrument, DIBELS was administered for pre-documentation and post-

documentation of the students to determine growth in basic reading skills. The one-minute

assessments were given by the teacher individually to each student.

The second instrument, STAR Reading, was administered for pre-documentation and post-

documentation, and was used to determine growth in reading comprehension. Students used a

computer program to answer 25 questions. A printout was then provided showing the students'

scaled scores, grade level scores, and zone of proximal development.

CHAPTER 4

PROJECT RESULTS

Historical Description of the Intervention

The objective of this project was to increase readinglliteracy performance of a small group of

students who were considered to be at-risk. Throughout the course of the research, the students

were given greater exposure to both the classroom library and school library, and access to

fictiodnon-fiction reading and activities. The students were also involved in Readers Theater

activities. Student improvement was measured through DIBELS and STAR assessments.

The teacher researcher began the research process by sending home parental permission slips

explaining the research project. Six of seven permission slips were returned. Parent surveys were

sent home during the first week of September, 2007. Four parents responded.

Trade books were ordered for the classroom. Many were non-fiction, based on concerns that

the second-grade teachers had shared at a grade level meeting, that the students would not be

prepared for the more difficult reading, concepts and vocabulary they would encounter in the

third grade. Some of the fiction books ordered were by endearing authors that the students had

been, or may have been, introduced to in earlier grades. Both fiction and non-fiction topics were

ordered with keeping the science curriculum in mind. Reference books and book sets were

ordered. Collections of readers theater scripts were also ordered. One contained scripts with high-

frequency and sight words. Another contained scripts that were re-tells of old favorites.

During week two, students reviewed library rules, so that they would be prepared for future

activities. The concepts of fiction and non-fiction were shared with the students. Students were

allowed to work on Accelerated Reading (AR) since they did have goals to meet that were set by

the second grade teachers. Students shared their reading interests. More books were ordered for

the classroom.

During week three, students were administered the DlBELS in order to establish baseline

data of early literacy skills. The STAR reading was to be administered, also to be used as

baseline data; and to establish approximate independent and instructional reading levels of the

students. However, the program hadn't been installed by the technology director due to

obligations of higher priority. The teacher researcher did request that the program be installed as

soon as possible. Since the assessments could be used up to five times per year, they could still

be useful for showing reading levels and growth.

Once the available baseline data was established, students were introduced to the new

materials and routines. Many of the new trade book selections were placed in the browsing bins

cart which is at an appropriate height for the students. To begin with, books were separated by

fiction and non-fiction. Related fiction and non-fiction topics were placed near each other. The

original plan for school library visits was that the students would visit the library not only with

their general educational classrooms, but also with their pull out language arts resource class and

the teacherlresearcher. Unfortunately, however, the librarian did not start her day in the library

until the afternoon. Since the teacher researcher's language arts class for the second grade

students met in the morning, the group would not be able to benefit from the librarian's

knowledge and support.

The routine for the Readers Theater activities was also introduced. The students were very

happy and excited about it. However, even the easiest scripts found appeared to be difficult for

the students. The students did not appear to mind, and worked diligently on the first script that

was a retell of the favorite Three Little Pigs and The Big Bad Wolffolktale.

At the beginning of week four, all but one of the students had lost their scripts which they

had taken home in order to practice their parts. Fortunately, extra copies were made and handed

out. Those were "lost" by the next day. The teacher researcher's mother came for her monthly

visit to the class and was kind enough to make enough copies of all scripts so that there were

three of each title for every student. One for home, one for school, and a spare.

Students also continued to have fictionlnon-fiction activities associated with concepts taught

in the general classrooms. For example, students enjoyed listening to non-fiction books about

amphibians. They also had the opportunity to read or listen to a number of the Froggy books,

which were fiction. This was followed by individual Accelerated Reader tests on the selections,

which helped the students to work toward the grade level AR point goals established by the

second grade level teacher team. Students also worked on the writing aspect of literacy by

developing a paragraph about frogs. At this point, it only seemed natural to pull out the science

curriculum big-book to go over the unit on amphibians. The students were extremely attentive.

Since they came from various general education second grade classrooms within the building,

some had already been exposed to the unit, and others would be during the first semester. The

teacher researcher felt that the increased number of repetitions provided by the curriculum,

fiction and non-fiction trade books may have made it easier for the students to re-call terms and

concepts.

By week five, the students were showing a preference for non-fiction books. They also

seemed to be taking more accelerated reading tests than in previous years. The library had added

quite a few new non-fiction selections with topics of high-interest to the students. One other

3 5

interesting note on the children's choices of reading activities was that although they appeared to

enjoy more non-fiction, they would choose a fiction selection over non-fiction, if the non-fiction

was not on the AR test list. The students were also eager to review the previous week's Readers

Theater Script. One student, who generally hated schoolwork, enjoyed playing the part of the Big

Bad Wolf. The children all smiled and giggled when she growled "Little pig, little pig, let me

come in." Unfortunately, however, not all of the students had practiced their lines over the

weekend. It was very slow going throughout the script. A couple of students had missed their

medication on one of the mornings, and were very difficult to keep on task. Even though it was

literally a "rocking group", the students wanted to continue working on the script. They were

only able to get about one-third of the way through the script at the time, although it was a

familiar retell. During week six, the students were still enjoying their first script, but were given a

second script as well. It was a retell of Jack and the Beanstalk. All hands went up as parts were

handed out. The whole group seemed to come together at Readers Theater time. Unfortunately,

scripts were still being lost. Students were not practicing their parts at home. If the classroom

was a general education classroom, where the students were in the room all day, more time could

be allowed for the students to rehearse. However, the students all had IEP's, and not all student

goals were the same. The students were in the cross-categorical c~assroom for only ninety

minutes for language arts. They had to go over the general reading curriculum, the direct

instruction material for some, as well as the general curriculum writers workshop. As far as the

fictiodnon-fiction activities, the students still continued to enjoy non-fiction selections for their

Accelerated Readers. Some students attempted to read Froggy books on their own, even though

the reading levels of these fiction selections were higher than might normally be recommended.

The students also began to recognize the author's voice in his writing, as a lot of the lines

showed up in every book.

By week seven, the students were reading more fluently throughout their first two Readers

Theater scripts. The students would eagerly run with excitement to the special rehearsal area

whenever it was announced that it was Readers Theater time. Most students were still not

practicing their parts at home, even though notes had gone home to parents, requesting their

support. As for the fictiodnon-fiction, the class finally made a transition fiom amphibianslfrogs

to fall. The "Frog and Toad" stories from the classroom reading curriculum as well as fiom the

classroom library, were shared and discussed. "The Surprise" fiom the classroom reader was

about raking fall leaves and allowed for the smooth transition fiom amphibianslfrogs to fall.

Moving fiom one topic to another seemed to be a slow process. It took a long time for the

students to get through a book, even when it was at a low reading level. The teacher researcher

had to remind herself that some of the students were basically non-readers at the beginning of the

school year. They had just started receiving special education services. From that viewpoint, it

was nice to see that the students were starting to enjoy reading. Another concern the teacher

researcher had was the original tools chosen for measurement of improvement in literacy

performance. Perhaps they would not give a full and true picture.

About half of the students started working on their scripts at home by week seven. There

were a number of absences, which meant a lot of make-up work for students. Therefore, less time

was spent on Reader's Theater activities. In the general classrooms, teachers reported that some

of the students were participating more in discussions about living things during science.

Students were also taking more interest in the new reading selections within the special education

setting, whether or not they had an associated Accelerated Reader test in the data base.

By the end of week eight, the Star Reading assessment had been installed on one of the

computers. The teacher researcher had the students take the assessments immediately. The

fictiodnon-fiction activities no longer correlated with the majority of the second grade

classrooms, as the teachers turn to their own preferences of units during the end of October.

The Readers Theater scripts were still not rehearsed at the students' homes. However, the

students still enjoyed Readers Theater and were slightly showing improvement in their fluency.

Some of the students were also starting to read their parts with a little more expression.

Week nine was conference week. Data had to be collected for the students' quarterly reports.

The students were free to enjoy reading selections of their own choice. Time was found to

rehearse for Readers Theater. The students were still eager to participate.

The teacher researcher started taking a large assortment of the school library books to the

classroom library for the students to choose from. A few of the general education classroom

teachers were using the school library as a place to work one-on-one with some of their students.

Since the library was quite a distance from the cross-categorical classroom, the teacher researcher

felt that her students would have more time on task if the books were more easily accessible to

them. Another change to the classroom was that new computers, or similar computers with new

parts were added to the classroom. Unfortunately, the Star Reading Program did not remain.

Promises were made to install it later. Also, new students at the kindergarten and first grade

levels were added to the classroom environment. The additions impacted time that the second

grade students had available for the Readers Theater activities. There was a positive note for the

fictiodnon-fiction activities. A couple of the general education classrooms were working on the

3 8

topic area of communities. Although the cross-categorical classroom was limited in some of the

topic areas addressed by the general education classrooms, the research group did have access to

books about communities, a subject addressed not only at the first and second grade levels in

social studies, but also in the general reading curriculum at both levels. Therefore, curriculum

connections were made during the week.

For the remainder of the research period, week 10 through week 14, a routine was kept as

much as time allowed due to holiday activities in the various classrooms, as well as

Thanksgiving break which presented a shortened school week. The general education reading and

writing curriculum with modifications was presented at the beginning of the school week,

followed by fictionlnon-fiction reading, writing and cooperative group activities with time found

for Readers Theater near the end of the school week.

The following week, the teacher researcher administered the final DIBELS and STAR

assessments. The research data was compiled and analyzed.

Presentation and Analysis of Results

Students in the second grade cross-categorical classroom perform behind the general second

grade population in the areas of reading literacy. Evidence of this problem include the DIBELS

and STAR assessments. The interventions used to address the students lack of growth in the area

of reading literacy were increased access to fictiodnon-fiction resources found not only the

school library, but also in the classroom library. Also, Readers Theater activities were added to

the weekly reading and language arts routine as further incentive for literacy improvement.

Figure 6 shows the results of the DIBELS Phoneme Segmentation Fluency assessment. By

the end of first grade, students should have a PSF>=35. Since the test group of students were in

the second grade, yet at risk for failure and receiving special education services in the literacy

areas, it is important to note that although four of the students initially met the criteria for end of

first grade, at the end of the research period, all of the students met the criteria, placing them at

less than a half-year deficit in phoneme segmentation skills. Student D decreased in score &om

September to December, although not markedly, still meeting the criteria for end of first grade.

90

80

70

6 0

50 Scores

40 P Pre-Documentation

30 B Post-Documentation

20

10

0

A B C D E F

Students

Figure 6: Phoneme Segmentation Fluency (n=6)

Figure 7 shows the results of the DIBELS Nonsense Word Fluency assessment. By the end of

first grade, a NWF score of < 30 would be considered deficit in the skill. A student with a score

of 30 <= NWF < 50 would be considered to be emerging in the skill. A student with a NWF

score >= 50 would have met the criteria for establishing the skill for the end of first grade. Again,

the DIBELS assessment was not taken as a standardized measure, but as an informal assessment

intended to measure where the test group of students with special needs were in their

development of these basic skills which are known to impact reading performance, and literacy

development. In analyzing the data, the assessment shows that all five students showed growth in

this skill area, with five of the students considered to have met the criteria for establishment of

the skill at the end of first grade level. One student was still in the emerging zone but only by one

point, which was not remarkable. The mean as measured during the NWF assessment in

September, was 32.3, or emerging in the skill. The mean at the end of the research period in

December was 70.7, highly influenced by student C. All students would be considered to be

established in the skill at the end of first grade level.

160

140

120

100

Scores 80 S P r e - D o c u m e n t a t i o n

60 . P o s t - D o c u m e n t a t i o n

40

20

0

A B C D E F

S t u d e n t s

I I

Figure 7: Nonsense Word Fluency

Figure 8 shows the results of the Star Reading Assessment in scaled scores. The scores

suggest growth for all students. The initial mean for students was 79. The post-documentation

mean was 105. All students showed growth according to the scaled score results.

180

160

140

120

100 SS Range

80 I Pre-documentation

60 Post-docume ntation 40

20

0

A B C D E F

Students

Figure 8: Scaled Scores (SS)

Figure 9 shows the results of the Grade Equivalent (GE) scores.

2

1.8

1.6

1.4

1.2

Grade Level 1

0.8 B Pre-documentation

0.6 , Post-documentation

0.4

0.2

0

A B C D E F

Students

Figure 9: Grade Equivalent (GE)

The grade equivalent scores showed growth in grade level performance across the test

group. The range was two to six months growth during the 14-week period. The pre-

documentation mean was 7.8. The post-documentation mean was 10.5.

Figure 10 shows the Percentile Rank from the Star Assessments.

30

25

2 0

Percentile 15 S Pre-documentation

10 I Post-documentation

5

0

A B C D E F

Students

Figure 10: Percentile Rank

Only 50% (n=3) of the students showed growth in percentile rank with the initial mean at the

7.3 percentile, and the end mean at the 10.5 percentile. With one student at the 25th percentile, the

remaining five students are still well below the 25th percentile.

Conclusions and Recommendations

The teacher researcher realizes that the interventions chosen for this action research were too

broad. The fictionlnon-fiction resources would have been enough to focus on for the first part of

the school year. The Readers Theater activities would have been better if used as a second action

research at the end of the school year when the students were able to read a little more fluently.

Both interventions appeared to be enjoyed by the students. The fictiodnon-fiction book

selections and activities appeared to be more motivating, seeming to increase the students'

desires to read and write. Yes, the assessment tools of DIBELS and Star Reading were not

necessarily appropriate for measuring students desires to become more literate, nor could they be

used to show actual increase in the basic reading skills of literacy that could definitely be

attributed to the interventions.

Perhaps more appropriate tools would have included student portfolios showing

Accelereated Reading reports of student growth in reading levels, as well as the reading choices

of fiction or non-fiction, or student writing compositions on subjects covered in their reading.

Perhaps, by the end of the action research, students could have written their own response to the

question, "How has your reading improved?'or "Do you enjoy reading? If so, what types of

books do you like to read?" observational survey such as those used by the Reading Recovery

teachers may have been more appropriate for measuring the students progress in the basic

reading skills, knowledge of text and fluency.

Also impacting progress may be the fact that at least 50% (n=3) of the students were not

receiving their medication on a regular basis. At times a student may have forgotten the

medication, at other times a baby sitter may have forgotten to administer the medication, and

there were those who ran out of medication sometimes. Two of the research group students

started weat-ing glasses after the research period. The glasses were prescription glasses for

reading. One student spent much of his reading time, prior to receiving his glasses, with one eye

closed. He claimed that he codld see better that way. After receiving his glasses, he read with

both eyes open. The two students appeared to enjoy spending more time reading after receiving

their new glasses.

In conclusion, this action research project gives hope for future action research projects

which are more focused on one simple change to the classroom along with a more appropriate

measure.

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